


Arc of Beginnings - A Dream SMP Retelling

by zyafon



Category: DreamSMP, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Dream Smp, Fanfiction, Fluff and Angst, L'Manberg War of Independence on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), L'Manberg | L'Manburg on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Minecraft, Retelling, Retelling of Dream SMP, Violence, War, l'manberg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-19 02:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29743572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zyafon/pseuds/zyafon
Summary: (NOTICE: SOME THINGS MAY BE CHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL CANON STORYLINE)TommyInnit, better known as Tommy, is a sixteen-year old boy who resides in the small yet powerful country named the Dream SMP. After witnessing a tragedy, he rushes off to create a new nation with his friends in the hopes of starting anew.But to create a new independent nation meant fighting a war against his old home. A wavering heart meant a swift end. Surrender was definitely not an option for Tommy. As he pushes on for a new beginning, his actions and influence begin to lead to a greater fate than he could have imagined.(THIS IS ONLY POSTED ON AO3 AND WATTPAD UNDER THE NAME OF "ZYAFON")
Kudos: 3





	1. 1.

From time to time, Tommy let himself wonder if the revolution was a good idea or not.

It started out as a small dispute against the Dream SMP, about the prohibition of possessing and distributing potions for regular citizens. According to Dream, it was to maintain order. So things wouldn't spiral into complete chaos. There were so many laws in place that prevented people from even having the smallest bit of knowledge of what a potion was.

Tommy did his best to understand Dream's perspective. It was only natural that a government wanted order, a place where citizens didn't get caught up with shady substances. He eventually admitted to himself that in the beginning, he did agree with Dream's view. That the circulation of potions should (at the very least) be prohibited among regular citizens. After all, there wasn't much information about the potential side effects of consuming too many, and who knows what would happen if the very foundation of Dream SMP became potion-addicts.

It was only when Tommy saw for himself what kind of punishment was being administered that he changed his stance. No, it wouldn't be right to say he "saw for himself", but more witnessed the before-and-after of someone's arrest. He vividly remembered that day. A man with a bad leg, his wrists bound, begging to the policeman that it was the only way he could make money for his family. That if he was let go, he wouldn't even breathe about potions again, But no matter how hard the man pleaded, they still took him to prison.

At the time, Tommy treated it as an after thought and went on with his day. Only months later did he see that man again at the community house, his skin littered with bruises and his leg so crippled that he needed a cane to walk around despite his young age. The man always seemed to be paranoid, constantly checking his surroundings in suspicion and flinching at loud sounds.

He heard the man passed away due to an untreated infection.

So people who makes potions deserves to be treated so cruelly to the brink of death? What a fucking joke, he thought. He understood that people who violate the law had to face consequences, but this... was the punishment really fit for the crime?

The first person he confided to was Wilbur, who didn't seem too surprised by the news. "Quite frankly, it's probably more tame than the other incidents that have happened," he said.

There, Wilbur revealed to Tommy all his research, his observations, and his plans for a new country. A country where people were free to roam wherever they pleased and could do whatever so long that they weren't harming others. Tommy became attracted to his idea, like a moth flying towards a bright flame. When Wilbur finished his explanation, Tommy immediately told him that he would do whatever it takes to build this new nation.

So they took Wilbur's van and parked it to the outskirts of the Dream SMP. That was their landmark, their starting point to the revolution. The Camarvan, Wilbur often joked about. Tommy's best friend Tubbo often came to help them with their new independent nation.

Soon enough, people began to check out the nation out of curiosity. Some chose to stay and helped to build a wall while others murmured in dissent. What would Dream and his team think? Surely he would squash this new "country" like stepping on a bug!

Tommy would never forget that day when they declared their independence. The day where him, Tubbo, and Wilbur came up with the name L'manburg and signed the Declaration of Independence. The musical chorus of laughter was ever present around the campfire that night, as though an orchestra had paid them a visit. Offhand comments, jokes, and old stories were told around the campfire, The image of Tubbo's nervous smile and Wilbur's charismatic speech would always be engraved in his mind. No, he could never forget that day.

Some days, he and Tubbo would go out to find resources and bring back sacks of materials they could use. Other times, he would be building walls with Fundy and Eret, the two other citizens of L'manburg. He remembered how they would rest their tired bodies in the shade while watching the sun's rays illuminate the black and yellow bricks. Tommy thought they looked quite good with the blue sky.

The same sky was soon painted a somber gray and filled with dark smoke. He remembered the blasts of TNT the cannon fired towards the walls. Fundy and Wilbur scrambling to counterattack while Eret stared blankly at the chaos. Tubbo's house being consumed by flames, the bright red and yellow wisps first consuming all the useful materials they had, then clawing up as though they were trying to destroy the sky itself. The sound of two clashing swords, an arrow barely missing Tommy's head, the sound of a sword meeting flesh...

"We will take back the land that is rightfully ours. I want to see white flags, white flags outside your base tomorrow, at dawn, or you are all dead!" Dream had proclaimed to L'Manburg while George and Sapnap stood behind him, their expressions full of arrogance and condensation. Tommy and his friends could do nothing but stare up in horror at what their land had become.

If Tommy knew how to fight, he would rip that stupid smiley face mask Dream wore. Stop them from trampling over their hard work. But he couldn't. He was just a child and barely knew how to use a sword. There was nothing he could do.

Wilbur had told them that night he would not put up the white flags. That for as long they held the values of L'manburg deep within their hearts, it would not disappear. Then he ordered everyone to go to rest.

It had started off over something so small, he thought in bed under his tent. Now they were in an all out war. Was this really a good idea? He was only sixteen. In two years, he would have been conscripted for the army if he was still living in the Dream SMP. Wouldn't it be better for him to live out the next two years as peacefully as possible? He wasn't even sure if he could witness another attack. Just thinking of the sound of TNT made him want to crawl under the sheets and never emerge again.

But he couldn't just abandon Wilbur and Tubbo after all they have been through. And if the revolution was successful, wouldn't that be better? To not have to pretend to love the Dream SMP each time he stepped out the comfort of his house? To be free in the country they had built?

If he had decided to choose the peaceful option, his whole life would be like a retail job. Working tirelessly to the bone with barely any reward. No, he would live this through. Or try his best to. 

Sighing, he stood up and popped open his chest to find his two discs, Cat and Mellohi. He and Tubbo had found them when exploring a cave together. Because exploring caves were prohibited unless you were a miner or a part of the army, Tommy had kept them a secret since. He didn't even have an opportunity to listen what they sounded like until he ran across an abandoned jukebox in the trash.

He took Cat and slid it into the jukebox before going back to bed. It creaked and groaned a bit before playing the familiar tune. His eyes slowly began to droop and he was lulled into a brief, sweet slumber.


	2. 2.

"You want us to gather resources right now?!"

They were all standing inside the Camarvan. It was almost 1 AM, and Tommy stifled a yawn. He had just entered a pleasant dream when he was woken up by Tubbo. Oh well, it wasn't like he was going to get much sleep during wartime anyways.

Fundy continued to protest, his fox ears twitching. "It's nighttime! There are monsters outside, and Dream's team could attack us with the cover of the night! It's too dangerous!"

Wilbur held up his hand. "We don't have that much time, Fundy. We need all the resources we can get. Which is why I'm splitting you all into teams," Wilbur walked across the van. "Tommy and Eret— you two go to the nether and collect materials for potions. Tubbo, Fundy, and I will go find some ores. Meet back here in around two hours and we'll switch roles." Fundy seemed to brighten when his name was mentioned.

"Wait, why can't Tubbo and I go together to the Nether? We bring back the most resources!" Tommy protested.

"Think of this like a team-building exercise as well, Tommy." Wilbur said while his patience was slowly running thin. "I want you to spend time with your other allies as well."

Tommy couldn't think of a counter argument and mumbled a "fine" before going to his tent to grab his equipment. He didn't have much— his L'manburg uniform, some armor, a shield, an iron set of tools, and two healing potions. He felt grateful to the "pocket" inventory system; everyone (as far as he knew) had one. Simply hold and think about putting an item into another dimension and the item would disappear. Of course, the pocket was limited. He couldn't fit all his stuff there, but it was enough so that he didn't have to manage carrying everything in his arms, He put everything but the sword and shield into the pocket, the items vanishing with a slight golden shimmer.

Once he finished buttoning up the collar of his uniform, he exited the tent and spotted Fundy, who was wearing his bright blue L'manburg uniform. Tommy found it a little strange that Fundy didn't wear the royal blue version of it, but didn't think much of it.

"Hey Fundy," said Tommy. "You ready? Let's go to the Camarvan together."

Fundy looked up from his uniform, narrowing his eyes at Tommy's uniform, "Yeah just— give me a bit, I can't button this stupid shirt on." He fumbled with the button for a moment before giving up. "Nevermind, let's just go."

"But your button—" Tommy started.

"It's fine, it'll be covered up by armor anyway."

The pair returned to the Camarvan and waited for the others to arrive. As soon as Wilbur entered, he immediately rushed to Fundy and began properly buttoning up his shirt, ignoring the series of protests Fundy had. Tommy and Tubbo gave each other knowing glances while Eret turned away politely. Once he was done, he gave a reminder to return to the Camarvan in two hours and let them go.

Tommy was a little nervous as he walked with Eret to the portal. They were on pretty good terms, but he felt more awkward with him on a one-to-one basis than a group one. He was still a little mad at Wilbur for pairing them up in the first place, but he did his best to swallow it down. Tommy wasn't a child. He knew he couldn't be attached to Tubbo 24/7.

As they approached the portal, Tommy could see that he and Eret were not the only ones going to the Nether. A man wearing a purple sweater with a green spiral at the centre stood in front of the portal, as though he was waiting for someone's arrival. Tommy was about to unsheathe his sword before being stopped by Eret, who stepped forward and called out to the stranger.

"Excuse me, but my friend and I would like to go through that portal. Could you please step aside?" asked Eret. The stranger whipped his head around and smiled in relief as he saw the royal blue L'manburg uniform Eret was wearing, which puzzled Tommy. He didn't seem to be one of the visitors who came to L'manburg during its early days, nor did he seem to be a member of the Dream SMP either. Still, he gripped the handle of his sword tightly in case he had to fight.

"You're both from L'manburg aren't you? Perfect!" the stranger clapped his hands together in delight. "My name is Karl Jacobs, and I want to join your nation!"

A pause. What? Even Eret seemed to be caught off guard. Noticing the silence, Karl continued. "I'm not from the Dream SMP. I'm just a," he paused for a bit. "wandering traveler. From the mountains. I can—"

"Just who are you? How did you know we were going to be here?!" Tommy demanded.

"I was just in the Nether trying to find L'manburg, I swear!"

"That's bullshi—"

Eret put his hand on Tommy's shoulder, cutting him off. "Karl, I'm sure you mean no harm, but I'm afraid I will have to decline your request. We currently have too many... diplomatic affairs to tend to."

Karl looked at Tommy and back at Eret, a solemn look on his face before sighing in defeat. "Alright, that's understandable," he said as he stepped aside. "I'll be on my way then. Be careful."

"Thanks, you too."

The pair put their armor on before stepping into the portal, letting the feeling of falling slowly settle in as they were taken to the Nether. Purple spirals soon filled Tommy's vision. They looked similar to the green spiral on Karl's sweater...

The Nether was a desolate hell-like place where seas of lava and fire existed. The terrain was filled with dark red netherack, a material that could keep a fire going for a very long time. Waterfalls of lava poured from the layer of netherack above Tommy and Eret. It was as though they were standing on one of the many layers of hell, each layer pushing its own horror onto the other.

Each time Tommy visited the Nether, he was always surprised by just how hot it was. If it weren't for the armor that was enchanted to regulate his body temperature, he would have for sure become a human puddle the moment he stepped outside the portal. He knew that there were people who could use magic to do the same thing without using armor, but they were rare. Apparently you had to have some innate talent in order to use it in the first place.

"Let's get some blaze powder, yeah?" said Eret, interrupting Tommy's train of thought.

"Um yeah, let's go."

The pair walked in silence as they searched for a Nether fortress. As the name suggests, it was a large, terrible fortress filled with mystical monsters and creatures. Blaze power was a key ingredient in making potions, but it could only be acquired by grinding Blaze rods into powder. To acquire Blaze rods, you had to kill Blazes... And even then, the drops weren't guaranteed.

It was a while before they finally stumbled upon one. The large castle-like structure loomed in the distance like it was a large, dangerous beast. The pair had managed to drop on top of the fortress and break in using a pickaxe. Considering how they were in the Nether, where hostile creatures roamed, they were very lucky to find a fortress without being attacked by Piglins or Ghasts.

"Do you want to split up?" asked Eret. "I think we'll cover more ground that way."

Tommy considered this, then nodded hesitatingly. "We only split up to look in the rooms. Otherwise, we travel together."

"Alright, lead the way."

They descended into the fortress and began looking around. While Blaze rods were key to making potions, they also kept their eye out for any other ingredient. Nether warts, a type of fungus found in the Nether, is a base ingredient in creating more complex potions. Ghast tears were used to create regeneration potions... and so on. Tommy set his priority on finding Blazes as L'manburg was running very low on the powder.

The fortress seemed to be oddly quiet. It would usually be filled with some Blazes and Wither Skeletons, Tommy thought. Maybe the fortress they went into was an abandoned one? It wasn't unheard of...

A fireball suddenly whizzed by, barely missing Tommy and hitting Eret squarely in the chest. Eret immediately crumbled to the floor while Tommy quickly unsheathed his sword. There was a Blaze just around the corner? How could he have missed that! He cursed himself for his stupidity.

"Eret! Just— stay still and— fuck it, take this!" Tommy reached into his pocket inventory and pulled out a small glass vial with pink, glowing liquid. He managed to crouch down and pour some of the pink liquid into Eret's mouth before he heard the clanging sound of metal. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and faced where the fireball came from.

The Blaze slowly creeped around the corner, its golden rods floating menacingly around its body shaped like a golden skull. It looked terrifying, thought Tommy. Just the sight of such a creature slowly approaching made his knees tremble. He was used to fighting monsters in the Overworld but not in the Nether. Still, he had to protect Eret. And Tommy did not have plans to go down before L'manburg had finally gained its independence.

He gripped his sword tightly before charging and swinging his sword as hard as he could to the skull, the weak point of the Blaze. It was an unsuccessful attempt, as the sound of iron meeting metal echoed throughout the air. Tommy tried to push his sword through the golden rod, the weapon trembling at the slightest resistance. He was overpowered and stumbled clumsily to the left, narrowly missing the Blaze's rod swinging for Tommy's head.

If only he had a bow! Then he wouldn't be having so much trouble, he thought. Still, he must have done some damage. Or he hoped to have done some.

He tried again. And again. And again. He was always met with the clanging sound of iron, his sneakers wearing away at the netherite below him. Still, he didn't let up at his attacks. He would continue going on the full offensive, not giving the Blaze a single chance to attack. Sparks flew each time his sword met with the Blaze's rod.

Finally, after so many tries he was sure his sword would have broke— he hit the skull. His sword surprisingly seamlessly cut through, as though cutting butter with a hot knife. So that's why it was so defensive, Tommy thought. The Blaze collapsed onto the ground before fading into dust. Once the dust cleared, two shiny blaze rods laid where the body had once been. He clumsily picked up the two rods and placed them into his inventory before slumping onto the ground, panting hard. The hot air in the Nether did little to help recover from his exhaustion.

He grit his teeth and forced himself to stand up. This was no place to rest! Eret— he had to help Eret. Tommy turned around to see Eret half standing, leaning heavily against the wall.

"Eret, are you okay?" He rushed towards Eret, putting his arm onto Tommy's shoulder. "We— we can't stay here. I can move slowly if you want."

"I-I'm fine, Tommy. The healing potion helped," Eret winced as he took a step forward. "Are you okay? I heard you fighting the Blaze."

"Yeah! Just a bit tired, but I'm fine. I even got two rods from it!" Tommy exclaimed as they turned around the corner. "I forgot to ask, but do you have the glass vial? Wilbur's going to kill me if I lose another one."

Eret let out a small laugh. "I have it in my pocket. Glass is a bit chipped though. Must've dropped it by accident."

"Oh, thank the Prime," Tommy sighed in relief.

"We should get more rods," mused Eret. "I have an old crossbow with me. You'll have to forgive me for my aim though... I'm not a good sharpshooter like Tubbo."

"That's fine. It'll be easier with two people anyways. I attack, you shoot from behind," grinned Tommy. "Just let me know if you need to take a break."

Eret gave a wobbly grin. "Thanks, Tommy. I appreciate it."

Smiling, the two slowly made their way through the fortress and continued to gather materials.


	3. 3.

"Nine, ten, eleven! Wow, you guys got a lot of Blaze rods!"

They were all back at the Camarvan counting their supplies. Tommy and Eret had arrived first, followed shortly by Wilbur's group. Tubby grouped the rods together and placed them onto a crafting table where they will be ground into Blaze powder.

"We also have some Nether warts," Eret tossed a bag onto the table. "We couldn't get much Glowstone Dust, though. It was too high up."

"That's fine," said Wilbur. "The two of you got quite a bit. Tommy, I want you and Tubbo to make the potions. Eret, you can help sort the materials with Fundy. I'll go and smelt the ores." He stood up and left the Camarvan.

Tommy moved over to the crafting table and helped him make Blaze powder. It was a simple process of grinding down the rods with a file, but it was a tedious task. He sat down next to Tubbo began to file the rods, making sure that the powder landed neatly on top of a piece of cloth.

"How was the trip to the Nether?" asked Tubbo. "I heard things got pretty rough in there."

Tommy took some time to stretch his arms. "Pretty fucking hot, if that's what you're asking," grinned Tommy. Tubbo gave out a small laugh. "It... was hard. Eret got badly hurt because we weren't paying much attention and it took me a while to take down a Blaze. But we still came back!"

Tommy didn't want to go back to what he messed up on. He would rather focus on the present than the past.

"That's good! I mean, the coming back part, not the bad parts," said Tubbo. "We went to caves and got a lot of ores. I think we discovered a mineshaft as well."

"A mineshaft?!" exclaimed Tommy. "We should go explore that later!"

"Yeah, of course!"

Their conversation continued throughout the whole night. By the time dawn almost broke, they had a wide variety of potions and improved weaponry. Compared to Dream's team, it looked extremely lacklustre. A mix of iron and diamond against Netherite. Heck, they didn't even have that many enchantments on them. But it still gave Tommy hope. All their hard work, pooled together. They made it this far, they just had to push a little more to get what they wanted.

"What do you think we should do, Wilbur? We've got as many supplies as we could. It's your call," said Tommy. They were all standing around the table of the Camarvan in their uniforms.

"Well, if possible, I'd really like if we could avoid violence at all cost," he said, walking across the room. "But if worst comes to worse, then we need the element of surprise. We can't just go all in at once. They are superior in terms of resources, but we can still catch them off guard."

"Surprise? But how can we surprise them? Sneak up on them?" asked Tubbo.

"One of us can cause diversions with this." Wilbur pulled out a vial with glowing violet liquid. "A potion of invisibility. Eret, I want you to be the one with this task."

"Me? Why me?" asked Eret, surprised.

"Because I trust your skills. You've got good aim and you're very resourceful. I know you can pull something off," smiled Wilbur, patting him on the shoulder. Eret looked stunned and stared down to the ground. "Oh, I forgot to ask— Fundy, my son, how are you feeling?"

Fundy's ears shot up at the sound of his name but quickly sagged. "I'm— it could have been better."

"Okay. Gentlemen, before we head into battle, may I read to you the Declaration of Indepen-dance?" Wilbur said , which caused them to giggle around the table. Clearing his throat, Wilbur opened up the book and read.

"Forever the nation of the DreamSMP have cast great sins upon our great land of the hto dog van. They have robbed us. Imprisoned us. Threatened us. Killed many of our men. This time of tyranny ends with us. This book declares that the nation which shall be henceforth known as L'Manburg is separate, emancipated and independent from the nation of DreamSMP. The union of the masters of men. Together we are one. When in the course of—"

A flaming arrow suddenly hit the window. It surprisingly didn't go through, but instead left layer upon layers of cracks, as though someone detonated a bomb in the ground. Tommy quickly peaked around the corners, taking in the site of four men in full Netherite armor surrounding the van.

"They've surrounded us Wilbur. In each corner," reported Tommy. "They must've gotten someone else on their side because there are four people."

"I'm going to step outside and see if we can negotiate," said Wilbur as he opened the door to the Camarvan. They all stood behind Wilbur, ready in case they needed to fight.

Dream noticed Wilbur stepping out of the van alone and signaled the rest of his teammates to lower their crossbows. He threw an Ender Pearl and leaped down from the wall, briefly turning into purple particles before appearing right in front of Wilbur. What a show off, thought Tommy.

"Dream," acknowledged Wilbur. "How are you? Do you like the view of our nation?"

"I'm good," replied Dream, looking around L'manburg. There wasn't much; A van surrounded by a wall with a couple of trees here and there. "I thought this was a trailer park."

Shouts of disbelief could be heard from the Camarvan.

"I'd like for us to peacefully work out a compromise, Dream. I don't want bloodshed," said Wilbur, ignoring the sounds. Tommy let out a loud "Yeah, bitch!" and was quickly shushed by Tubbo. "Name a time and place. We'll meet you there."

"You say you don't want bloodshed involved but you're letting children become citizens of your so-called nation, knowing that we're on the brink of a war?" questioned Dream. "That's pretty hypocritical of you."

"They're not— well they aren't kids. They can make their own decisions. I've given them the option to leave, told them that this could happen, but they still stayed. I just want to try and settle things peacefully." Wilbur clenched his fist. Dream snorted but didn't make any further remarks.

"The tower near your old house, in an hour. Don't be late," said Dream before leaving. Wilbur watched him for a bit before going back into the Camarvan, thinking about what he said.

Tommy and Tubbo... they were both his younger brothers. They weren't even adults. There was also his son to think about as well. If he thought about it, the only people who were really "qualified" to fight in this war were Eret and himself. They could have died during Dream's declaration of war... was it really worth putting them through the whole ordeal again?

Come to think of it, why didn't Dream try to gather his current army to this war? The Dream SMP was still a relatively new nation. There was no doubt that it was lacking a good army apart from the conscripted soldiers that were just used to establish a military presence in the land. But even so, Dream could summon them at a whim and let them do the work. It was an army versus five people. 

Was it mercy? To both L'manburg and his own people? If Dream thought he could deal with L'manburg with three other skilled fighters, then there was no need to overkill it with a whole army. He did value peace and order in his nation a lot over many other things...

Stop, he told himself. This wasn't the time to debate on why Dream did this and that. His main priority should be securing L'manburg's independence and ensuring that Tommy, Tubbo, and Fundy's futures weren't clouded by participating in this war. When he stepped into the Camarvan, everyone fell silent and turned towards him.

"Dream agreed to negotiations. We meet at my old house in an hour," said Wilbur, his voice straining slightly. This is fine. Everything will be okay. It's just a negotiation, so why did it feel like something was about to go horribly wrong?

"You alright, Wilbur? You look a bit pale," said Tubbo. Tommy nodded alongside him.

Wilbur clenched his fists. "Tommy, Tubbo, and Fundy," Wilbur nodded to the three. "Are you— Are you guys sure that you want to participate in this?" He couldn't bring himself to say what he truly was feeling, so he left it at that.

"You mean fighting against Dream and his team? Yeah, I'm sure. For the most part, anyway," said Tubbo, patting Wilbur on the back. "I want to build a new nation with you, Wilbur. We can do it." Tommy let out another loud "Yeah!" while Fundy and Eret nodded their heads.

"Don't stress yourself out, Wilbur. You can rely on us." Eret added. Wilbur stood in silence for a bit before regaining his composure.

"Alright, men," ordered Wilbur, going back to his usual self. "You armor up now. We head to my old house."


End file.
